KFC

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Kentucky Fried Chicken and the Global Fast-Food Industry The National Restaurant Association anticipated that fast-food sales grew 5.2 percent in 1997 to $104 billion from the 1996 figure of $98 billion. Fast-food chains were ahead of the sit-down restaurants. The major market segments that made up the global industry in fast-food included six different segments. Sandwich chains were the largest portion of this market, with McDonald?s leading the way with $16 billion in sales, 35 percent of the segment, and over 23,000 restaurants in 109 countries. This segment featured intense competition among the participants, numbering more than twelve, such as McDonald?s, Burger King, Wendy?s, and Taco Bell. The saturation of sandwich chains made sales drop, thus forcing the chains to introduce new products, lower prices, improve service, open new locations, and co-brand with other chains. The second largest segment was the dinner houses. These were popular among the aging crowd that wanted a more upscale and expensive meal, such as the Red Lobster, Olive Garden or Applebee?s.

Competition among the eleven or so major restaurants in this segment was fierce because of over-saturation, also. This segment overtook the gilled buffet chains segment of the fast-food industry. Pizza Hut, with over 46 percent of their segment and more than $4 billion in sales dominated the other seven restaurants in the pizza segment of the fast-food industry. Pizza places diversified into non-pizza food items, for instance chicken wings, to keep their profits up. Another segment was family restaurants that included Denny?s with over 21 percent of the share, followed by Shoney?s and Big Boy with 14 percent and 10.8 percent, respectively. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) dominated the chicken segment of the fast-food market. In 1998, this corporation was the world?s largest chicken chain and the third largest fast-food chain. There were 10,200...